A Kindred Romance
by RedeemedHeartOfPaper
Summary: A collaboration between DiegoRedeemedLover and HeartOfPaperBloodOfInk. Kit/Will and Ben/Lissie.
1. Intro

******_All characters are copyright to Valerie Tripp and Pleasant Company, we're just merely borrowing them for a bit. Also, this will be the only disclaimer we will do, so thus this is already disclaimed for the whole story! _**

**_

* * *

_**Independence. It had been a long time coming, but it had come at last. Fathers, brothers, sons, husbands, partners, loved ones were returning home. The world was a peace. Everywhere except for Felicity Merriman's heart.

She had bid farewell to Benjamin Davidson eight years ago. Ben, her childhood friend, had gone a boy, and returned six months later a man, hardened by war. That was the last time Felicity had seen him, after that he had journeyed to the north, and had last been heard of fighting under General Washington against the British in the New York area.

She hoped against hope that he wasn't dead, but she knew in her heart of hearts that he most likely was. He would have written to her family and she had he still been alive, he wasn't one to leave people hanging.

Yes, he was almost certainly dead.

X-X-X

Ben Davidson was not dead, nor was he injured. What he was, was sitting on the banks of the Thames, cursing the rotten luck that had led to his capture. There was little chance of his getting a ship back to America. Now that it was no longer a British colony there were few ships going back and forth, and those that were mainly carried goods, leaving no room for passengers.

Yes, he was lucky to be alive, and to be free, and lucky that the changeover of currency had not yet taken effect, so that he would be able to use the £100 he had in his pocket. He had every chance of survival, but no chance of returning to the land for which he had given his all, and little chance of any letter he wrote to anyone living there reaching them before next year.

He was dipping his toes in the close to filthy water of the Thames as he surveyed his surroundings. London wasn't pretty, that was for certain. There were plenty of large, grand buildings, and no shortage of the aristocracy and fine clothes and baubles, but there was none of the community spirit that he had grown accustomed too in the colonies, London was far too big for everybody to know everybody as they had in Williamsburg. The smog that had settled over the city seemed to choke him, used as he was to the fresh country air that was found in Virginia.

He turned upriver, continuing the walk that he hoped would take him to Oxford, the university town renowned for its scholars. He had heard tell of it from Felicity's grandfather, "the Dreaming Spires" he had called it, this town with its old buildings and ancient history. The Dreaming Spires. They sure held dreams for Ben. He had the absurd notion that if he could reach Oxford, all would be alright with his world again. He knew it was ridiculous, but there was something pulling him there, only he didn't know quite what.

* * *

It was a brisk, chill day in Cincinnati, Ohio. Adjusting her cloche hat slightly, Kit, also known as Margaret Mildred Kittredge, stepped gaily into the street, eager to reach the offices of Gibb's newspaper for her first job as a reporter. Days earlier, Kit's whole world had exploded when President Franklin Delano Roosevelt had issued an emergency broadcast about the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor. Holding her head high, the blonde-haired young woman tried to ignore the undercurrent of uncertainty and district intermingled with excitement fairly tingling in the air around her as men young and old hurried to sign up for service in the military to protect their country.

Crossing over to the doors of the newspaper office, Kit stopped short in disbelief as she caught sight of a tall, almost gangly man with tan-colored hair like straw, sparkling crystal blue eyes, and gentle, calloused hands, dressed in uniform. The man raised his finely made blond head, gazing curiously at Kit in her denim blue jumper, cropped short tresses cut to a pageboy (Kit's favourite hairstyle), and her satchel filled with papers poking out of it. A breathless silence filled the air between the two people as they stared into each other's eyes, and then the man asked,

"Kit? Kit Kittredge?"

While at the same time Kit exclaimed in surprised pleasure,

"Will? Will Shepherd?"

"What are you doing here?" Will inquired of Kit, crossing over to her, taking her hand in his, and the girl didn't resist his touch. A few people walking by on their way to work cast disapproving glances at the two outside Gibson's Newspaper Offices, and a man and woman darted a look to each other that clearly meant _such affection in public! It shouldn't be done_.

Kit took a deep breath, her face seeking Will's.

"I'm here…" she began, and then paused, her pale face alight with hesitation as her stare roamed up and down the light tan uniform that Will was wearing, and then up to his eyes again. An expression of dismay glimmered in her disturbed face.

Changing the subject, Kit raised one eyebrow with a practiced flair, causing the young man's hand that she held to tremble slightly in her grasp, but she didn't notice. Her face paled as she demanded,

"Will Shepherd, why on earth on you here – in uniform?" she trailed off as she found herself lost in his face again.

In response, the man took Kit's other free hand in his as her satchel slipped down into the crook of her arm.

"To say goodbye," Will replied softly. Noticing her puzzled expression marring the beauty of her face, he hastened to explain,

"Kit, I'm going overseas – to fight against the Japanese who so imprudently wronged us at Pearl Harbor; and I have joined to come bring aid to our Old Mother England, who is in distress from the nasty Germans, who have bombed her cities without avail. It's for the good of _everyone_, Kit."

Beguiled by his appealing Texas drawl, Kit heard his words, but failed to comprehend what they meant.

"Kit," Will continued, "I'm going overseas – to fight in the War."

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**A/N: This is a collaboration story between DiegoRedeemedLover (who is writing Kit/Will) and HeartOfPaperBloodOfInk (who is writing Ben/Lissie). They both have other stories in the AG FanFiction universe as well, and love for you to go read them :) (hint hint...!) **

**To clarify time periods – Ben/Lissie is set at the end of the War of Independence, and Kit/Will is set at the very beginning of America's involvement in WWII. **

**Please don't favourite or alert without reviewing, thank you :) xx  
**


	2. Hopes and Tensions

Ben arrived in Oxford after a few days travel along the Thames, nothing of a hardship for a hardened soldier, used to fighting under Washington in bloody battles against the British. He didn't know why he had ended up there, but he knew that there must be some reason, and that there must be somebody able to help him somewhere in the town.

He walked down the cobbles of Broad Street, passing the cross marking the spot where Ridley et al had been burned at the stake as martyrs during the reign of Bloody Mary. He shivered as he passed the spot. The English sure had a bloodthirsty side.

Many years ago, a few months before he left for the war, Mr Merriman had given him the address and name of a man who lived and worked in the university in Oxford, in case he ever found himself captured by the British, and in need of help.

Ben had not planned on contacting Mr Jameson; he had decided that he didn't need his help. Now, however, he thought that Mr Jameson may know something about the reason his feet had dragged him to Oxford, or at the very least, know a respectable inn in which he could stay.

He negotiated the maze of narrow, cobbled side streets, finding his way at last to the correct college. Goodness, but Oxford appeared to be one large university campus, with numerous colleges dominating the city. He then had to ask many people, some of whom refused to speak to him as soon as they heard his accent, as he had no idea as to where to find Mr Jameson.

He soon found the correct office, and knocked on the heavy oak door. A voice called for him to enter. As he pushed open the door, he saw that the room was light and airy; the inside walls the same limestone as the outer walls. The office was large, and the man sitting behind the desk looked wise, but kind.

"I'm sorry to bother you, sir," Ben began, "My name is Benjamin Davidson, I'm a friend of the Merriman family, whom I believe you know. I was wondering if you knew any way I could contact them?"

"Why, my dear boy," the bespectacled man exclaimed "I have heard much tell of you from the family, particularly from the beautiful eldest daughter. I am indeed surprised that you do not know."

"Know what?" questioned Ben, hoping against hope that the family wasn't dead, or worse.

"Why, that they, along with the Cole family, have temporarily relocated, only until Williamsburg regains its trade though, of course."

"Relocated _where?_" Ben asked, somewhat impatiently.

"Why, to Oxford, of course!" Mr Jameson exclaimed, "They had heard so much tell of the land from which they were from that they decided to pay a short visit. Now, I know that may be odd," he added, seeing the expression on Ben's face "considering the war, but they dearly wanted to see me, I am, after all, an old family friend. However, my work and my age would not permit me to take the journey, so they are here, not three miles from where we are now, in a charming little cottage, near Frideswide's well. The family is _here _Ben!"

**XXXXXX**

A dark cloud slowly began to spread over the young woman's visage as she fully realised what her friend was implying.

"You're going overseas … to fight in the war? "She repeated, her voice a murmur. Unconsciously she leaned in closer to Will, as if for protection against the very elements he was referring to.

Will gently placed a boyish arm over her shoulder comfortingly, his face crystallized with emotion. Breaking the silence hanging vividly in the air around the two, Will spoke up almost hesitantly, directing a question towards Kit.

"Kit, what are _you _doing here?"

But Kit was not to be so hastily deflected from her own puzzled whirl of feelings enveloping her as protectively as Will now did. She had caught one of his first words to her,

"To say goodbye."

The realization that he was leaving, possibly never to return, struck her with the force of a blow. The ground seemed to fall out from under her as she glanced up again with a coy, bashful look into Will's eyes.

_Will is five years older than me, _she thought dryly to herself as she admired his features once more – the deepness of his eyes reflected the serenity of the ocean, his arms, work-hardened and sure and kind, his sandy blond hair that shone in the hot summer heat like sparkling grains of sands adjacent to the seashore – _why I am mooning over him? Ever since I was ten, he's only been a family friend … and my best friend. One of my best friends, at least. _Abruptly Kit came to herself, smiling ruefully, embarrassed that he might have noticed her looking at him. _  
_

Miss Kittredge cleared her throat as she reluctantly extricated herself from the tender hold the young man had on her, and began to explain her errand to him.

"Gibbs has hired me as a journalist," she exulted, her light blue eyes glistening. "I start today, Will."

"Kit, that's wonderful!" Will replied, taking her hand in his with his firm, tender grasp. Kit suddenly found herself blushing. Averting her face away from him, Kit chided herself for being so impulsive.

The young man's eyebrows drew together slightly in a small frown as he contemplated the girl, almost a woman, who stood in front of him. He reached out for her again, but Kit pulled away, exclaiming,

"Oh Will, I'm sorry. I must go. Gibbs will be furious if I am late for my first beat on the route – he's sent me to oversee the new GIs…" she paused abruptly, her eyes teasing his face. An idea lit up her countenance.

"Will, what is your division here in Cincinnati? I can ask Gibbs if I can accompany you today to report on it."

The smile lines of Will's features gathered into a grin as he looked down at her with a strange light glimmering in his eyes, but Kit hadn't seen it. Grabbing his hand, she pulled him into the offices of the _Cincinnati Register. _

After a hurried conference with Mr. Gibson, Kit and Will departed together in search of the young man's division.

Only this time, as Will kept reaching out as if to touch the girl's shoulders or arms, she stepped briskly ahead of him, a cool demeanor masking her visage, and her light blue eyes were cool for some reason when the Texan happened to catch a glimpse of them, and it puzzled him to no end.

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